Justin Sullivan
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, a pioneer in electric cars (NASDAQ:TSLA), said on Saturday that oil and gas should not be avoided in the medium term, but that it is important to reduce carbon emissions to address climate change.
“I don't think we should demonize oil and gas,” he said. “It will take several decades to become sustainable. “I think if we, without worrying too much, gradually seek to have a sustainable energy future, then that is what will happen.”
He spoke in Rome at a meeting of conservatives organized by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party.
“The alarm about climate change is somewhat exaggerated in the short term, but it remains a long-term concern.” he said. “What really matters is that over the course of the next few decades we gradually reduce the amount of millions or billions of tons of carbon that we move from the ground into the atmosphere.”
When asked if he would consider investing in Italy with his various companies, which also include commercial launch company SpaceX (SPACE), he said he was concerned about the country's falling birth rate.
“Italy is a great place to invest, but I want to emphasize that I am concerned about a low birth rate,” he said. “If the labor force decreases, who will work in the country?”
He said the Italian government should offer more incentives to have children because the country could not expect immigration to increase the population.
